Maria Collett, the Montgomery County Democratic freshman in the State Senate, is at the forefront of the push for menstrual equity in Pennsylvania, writes Maria Panaritis for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Collett was one of the women in the state legislature who took part in the menstrual equity rally last week. The goal was to bring into full view something many women are taught to be ashamed of.

Speakers at the rally emphasized that some of the poorest women in Pennsylvania cannot afford feminine hygiene products that can be quite expensive.

As a result, some young women are forced to stay home from class because they are afraid they might bleed in public.

Collett and other women in the legislature are now pushing bills that would help with these issues.

The rally also marked the arrival of women in Pennsylvania’s halls of power in record numbers. Since the last election, the number of women legislators increased to 64 out of 253 overall members.

”We’re here in large numbers,“ said Collett, ”and we’re here to talk about the things that are important to the women in the commonwealth.”

Read more about Maria Collett at The Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.

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